DAEJEON, South Korea (Interstat) — Ariel Jurado delivered seven dominant innings and the Samsung Lions capitalized on early opportunities to defeat the Hanwha Eagles 6-1 on Thursday evening, completing a three-game sweep at Daejeon Hanbat Baseball Stadium.

A crowd of 17,000 watched as the first-place Lions methodically dispatched the Eagles, improving their Korea Baseball Organization record to 11-4-1. Hanwha fell to 6-10 with its fifth consecutive loss.

The most important part of the game unfolded in the early innings, where Samsung built its lead not with explosive power but through persistent pressure and timely hitting against Hanwha starter Wang Yan-cheng. Despite Wang allowing no earned runs over five innings, the Lions pushed across three unearned runs via a combination of defensive miscues and clutch singles.

Samsung broke through in the second inning. Jeon Byeong-woo reached on an error by Hanwha second baseman Park Jeong-hyeon and advanced to second on the play. Lee Jae-hyeon then laced a single down the right field line to score Jeon for a 1-0 lead.

The Lions doubled their advantage in the third, again aided by a Hanwha error. With two on after a walk to Lewin Diaz and a fielder’s choice, Jeon Byeong-woo singled to center to drive in Diaz. Lee Jae-hyeon followed with another run-scoring single to center, plating Ryu Ji-hyuk to make it 3-0. Both runs were unearned due to an earlier error by shortstop Lee Do-yun.

That early cushion was more than enough for Jurado. The Samsung right-hander commanded the game, scattering six hits and allowing one earned run while striking out five and walking none. He efficiently neutralized the Hanwha lineup, inducing weak contact and working out of minimal trouble to earn his third win of the season. Jurado has now allowed just three earned runs over 19 innings in his last three starts.

Hanwha’s lone run came in the sixth inning. Moon Hyun-bin tripled to the gap in right-center field and scored on a sacrifice fly by cleanup hitter Kang Baek-ho, cutting the deficit to 3-1.

Samsung responded immediately, however, to quash any momentum. In the top of the seventh, they loaded the bases but failed to score. They broke the game open in the eighth against the Hanwha bullpen. Kim Ji-chan doubled and scored on a single by veteran Choi Hyoung-woo, extending the lead to 4-1.

The Lions added two final runs in the ninth for insurance. A walk, a hit batsman and a fielding error by Eagles third baseman Ha Ju-suk loaded the bases. Kim Hun-gon then grounded into a forceout that scored one run, and another came across on a wild pitch by reliever Lee Kyo-hoon.

Following Jurado’s exit, the Samsung bullpen was flawless. Miyaji Yura worked a perfect eighth inning with a strikeout, and Choi Ji-guang closed it out with a 1-2-3 ninth, including a strikeout.

Despite taking the loss, Wang Yan-cheng performed admirably for Hanwha. His final line showed five innings pitched, six hits allowed, no earned runs, six strikeouts and three walks. The Hanwha bullpen, after Wang departed, saw scoreless outings from Kim Jong-soo, Lee Min-woo, John Cushing and Park Sang-won before faltering in the late innings.

Lee Jae-hyeon led the Samsung offense with two hits and two RBIs. The Lions collected nine hits total, while Hanwha managed six.

The victory extended Samsung’s winning streak to four games and marked their sixth win in their last seven contests. They have now taken five straight meetings from Hanwha this season, including a 13-5 win on Wednesday and a 6-5 victory on Tuesday. The Lions continue to outperform preseason expectations, having been projected by Interstat’s ELO system as only a 52.3% favorite in this contest. The combined seven runs fell well under the pregame over/under line of 9.5.

Hanwha, installed as a +1.5 underdog, failed to cover the spread.

Samsung now returns home to Daegu to open a three-game series against the LG Twins on Friday. Hanwha will travel to Busan to begin a three-game set against the Lotte Giants, also on Friday.